Civic Media Center

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For other uses, see CMC.

The Civic Media Center (CMC) is an alternative library and reading room in Gainesville, Florida, United States. The CMC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization funded by offering yearly memberships to access the substantial resources housed within the space and donations from friends and members alike. The Center was founded in 1993[1] by The Gainesville Iguana and other members of the Gainesville community[2]. It is located at 1021 West University Avenue, in between the Shamrock Irish Pub and Gator Dawgs.

In addition to its functions as a library, the CMC also regularly hosts events, often partnering with community groups and student organizations from the nearby University of Florida. Acting as an open community space is a priority for the CMC, which is why you'll find everything from high school punk rock shows to knitting groups, union meetings, or gatherings of the Gainesville Critical Mass riders. The Civic Media Center is open to anyone and everyone, to use as they see fit.

The CMC also sponsors film screenings at the Hippodrome State Theatre, showing brand new documentaries as well as older films, such as Winter Soldier, Outfoxed, Uncovered, Iraq for Sale, The Corporation, An Injury To One[3] and many more. As well, the CMC has an impressive track record of bringing prominent progressive speakers to Gainesville, including Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Michael and Christian Parenti, David Barsamian, Diane Roberts[4] and others.

Possibly one of the most interesting aspects of the CMC is the vast collection of periodicals, books from the alternative press, films, zines, and audio recordings which are available to the members. The CMC boasts one of, if not the, largest collections of zines in the United States, actually possessing too many to display at any one time. As well, the periodicals archive contains literature from African national liberation struggles from the '60s to local student newspapers put out during the Vietnam war era student movement at the University of Florida. The CMC also has a collection of early original documents from Gainesville Women's Liberation, the first women's liberation group in the South, which was formed in 1968.